Nonlinear evolution of the MHD Kelvin‐Helmholtz instability in a compressible plasma

Lai, Su‐Yuan; Lyu, L. H.

doi:10.1029/2004ja010724

Cited by 26 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…It is the nature of the KHI in this super/sub-sonic regime that is studied in this paper. A part of the study by Lai and Lyu (2006) does touch on this parameter regime. In contrast to this previous work, we exclude the magnetic field, run more runs in this interesting parameter space, and concentrate on the basic dynamics of the instability.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

The structure of Kelvin–Helmholtz vortices with super-sonic flow

Kobayashi

Kato

Nakamura

et al. 2008

Advances in Space Research

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

The structure of Kelvin–Helmholtz vortices with super-sonic flow

Kobayashi

Kato

Nakamura

et al. 2008

Advances in Space Research

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“…Do they evolve continuously to form larger vortices (e.g., Miura, 1999), shocklets (Miura, 1992;Lai and Lyu, 2006), and/or an eddy turbulence (Matsumoto and Hoshino, 2004)? What is the nature in the distant tail region of outflow jets antisunward of tailward-of-the-cusp reconnection?…”

Section: Other Remaining Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structure and Dynamics of the Magnetopause and Its Boundary Layers

Hasegawa¹

2012

Monogr. Environ. Earth Planets

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The magnetopause is the key region in space for the transfer of solar wind mass, momentum, and energy into the magnetosphere. During the last decade, our understanding of the structure and dynamics of Earth's magnetopause and its boundary layers has advanced considerably, thanks largely to the advent of multi-spacecraft missions such as Cluster and THEMIS. Moreover, various types of physics-based techniques have been developed for visualizing two-or threedimensional plasma and field structures from data taken by one or more spacecraft, providing a new approach to the analysis of the spatiotemporal properties of magnetopause processes, such as magnetic reconnection and the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI). Information on the size, shape, orientation, and evolution of magnetic flux ropes or flow vortices generated by those processes can be extracted from in situ measurements. Observations show that magnetopause reconnection can be globally continuous for both southward and northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) conditions, but even under such circumstances, more than one X-line may exist within a certain (low-latitude or high-latitude) portion on the magnetopause and some X-lines may retreat anti-sunward. The potential global effects of such behavior are discussed. An overview is also given of the identification, excitation, evolution, and possible consequences of the magnetopause KHI: there is evidence for nonlinear KHI growth and associated vortex-induced reconnection under northward IMF. Observation-based estimates indicate that reconnection tailward of both polar cusps can be the dominant mechanism for solar wind plasma entry into the dayside magnetosphere under northward IMF. However, the mechanism by which the transferred plasma is transported into the central portion of the magnetotail, and the role of magnetopause processes in this transport, remain unclear. Future prospects of magnetopause and other relevant studies are also discussed.

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“…Here the centrifugal force of the initial rotating KH vortex plays the role of gravity in the Rayleigh-Taylor instability. Lai and Lyu [2006] emphasize the nonlinear evolution of the KH instability and its dependence on various parameters. Many simulations make it clear that the waves develop faster when there is a weaker stabilizing magnetosheath field component parallel to the velocity and transverse to the magnetosphere field.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Waves on the dusk flank boundary layer during very northward interplanetary magnetic field conditions: Observations and simulation

et al. 2007

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[1] The Geotail spacecraft made an inbound passage perpendicular to the dusk equatorial magnetopause on 1 August 1998 when the interplanetary magnetic field had been very northward for more than 10 hours. As the spacecraft moved through the low-latitude boundary layer, it detected waves with $3 min period that caused transitions between cool dense magnetosheath plasma and mixed magnetosheath and magnetosphere plasmas. A region of highly fluctuating magnetic fields with variations up to 50 nT/s was observed on leaving the magnetosheath plasma but not on its return to this region. This observation suggests that the boundary region is not laminar but more likely consists of KelvinHelmholtz vortices. Such fluctuations are probably caused by twisting of the field by the vortices, and they could be important in transporting plasma to the magnetosphere where densities of 5/cc were observed. A global MHD simulation of the event reproduced the observed low-frequency waves, their counterclockwise polarization, and a region of high-velocity magnetosheath flow outside the magnetopause. This flow was associated with a decreased density and increased field strength which are characteristics of a plasma depletion layer. When Geotail moved further inward into the magnetosphere, it detected waves that are probably the magnetotail vortices which had been detected earlier by the ISEE spacecraft.

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Nonlinear evolution of the MHD Kelvin‐Helmholtz instability in a compressible plasma

Cited by 26 publications

References 34 publications

The structure of Kelvin–Helmholtz vortices with super-sonic flow

The structure of Kelvin–Helmholtz vortices with super-sonic flow

Structure and Dynamics of the Magnetopause and Its Boundary Layers

Waves on the dusk flank boundary layer during very northward interplanetary magnetic field conditions: Observations and simulation

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